(L to R) Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), US President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) wait before a meeting about the United States's debt ceiling in the Oval Office of the White House May 9, 2023, in Washington, DC. Biden and Republican leaders met in hopes of breaking an impasse over the US debt limit. The lifting of the national debt ceiling allows the government to pay for spending already incurred. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)Photo: Getty Images